Improvement in handles for drawers



d '5mm gatti? JOHN SMITH, OF BROCKPORT, NEW YORK.

Letters Patent No. 88,817, dated April 13', 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN HANDLES FOR DRAWERS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it IIna/y concern Be it known that I, JOHN SMITH, of Brockport, in the county of Monroe, and State of New York, have invented a certain new and improved Method of Making Handles for Bureau and other Drawers, and for other'purposes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being'had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specication, in which- Figure 1 represents the circular block from which the handles are cut.

Figure 2,- one of the complete handles that are produced by the division of the block.

Figure 3, a vertical section of one of the handles as applied to a drawer.

Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Formerly, knobs attached by screws were used for opening and closing drawers. Latterly, however, caps, or hand-pieces with hollow backs, to furnish hold for the fingers, are being extensively employed. These pieces, of irregular but ornamental form, have been lheretofore produced by hand-carving. This necessalily involves much labor and expense, besides leaving the handles rough and uninished.

The object of my improvement is to produce the handles in a cheaper and simpler manner, by the employment of machinery, and at the same time, smooth and polish them while revolving; and

The invention consists in first forming a circular block, or disk witha hollow back, in a lathe, or by other equivalent means, and then cutting, or dividing the block, by means of a saw or otherwise, so as' to produce handles of the requisite form.

To accomplish this, a'. piece-of wood, of the proper form, is placed in the lathe and turned, or equivalently formed, with a circular face,v as indicated by block A, in iig. 1.

The face, in the act of forming, may be beaded, or grooved in any desired manner.

.The back is turned, or bored with a hollow space, or an equivalent groove, a, which allows the lingers to be inserted beneath, for operating the drawer when the devices are applied.

If desired, the face of' the block may be further carved, or ornamented by hand, or by machinery, or. ornaments glued or fastened to the same, to give it a pleasing and ornamental effect, but this, in itself, forms no part of my improvement.

When this is accomplished, I out, or divide the block into parts, B, each of which, having the hollow or grooved back, forms a suitable handle for gluing or otherwise attaching to Ia drawer or other body.

The division of the block is indicated by the red lines in fig. 1.

Any ornamental form may be given to the lower edge of the handle, that shown in the drawing being a double ogee.

I do not confine myself to the precise shape of the handle, as above described, as other equivalent forms may be employed; for instance, the block forming the handles may be made of conical form, and then divided vertically.

Escutcheons for key-holes may also be formed in a similar manner, the design being to make them to conform and match with the handles in use.

The novelty in this case consists in the method, or process, the rst' step being to turn, or form the circular block, and then cut, or divide it into parts. `By this means, I am enabled tov form the handles with the greatest facility and expedition, by mechanical means alone, and produce an article equal, if not superior, to those which have before been produced entirely by hand-carving.

In addition to the above, by myprocess I'can smooth and polish thel handles while revolving, while in the hand-carved work the handles cannot be made 'smooth and polished, being filled with irregularity that will not take the polish readily.

This process I believe to be new, for though it is common to bothturn, or form a block in circularshape, and to out lumber in various ways, these articles, thus produced, have before been unknown.

The hollow a may be formed either before or after dividing the block.

I de not'claim, separately, either turning'or cutting a circular block of wood; but

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

As a new article of manufacture, a handle, constructed as herein described.

In witness whereof,I have hereunto signed my name, in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN SMITH. Witnesses J. A, Davis,

R. F. OseooD. 

